Recently I’ve been sharing a lot about issues related to aging parents because my mom lives with us. I enjoy sharing about our multigenerational living set up and how it works for us. Having her under the same roof has raised our awareness of issues seniors face as they age. It’s spurred us to do more acts of kindness for seniors too.
Recently I shared about the importance of encouraging our kids to connect with the seniors in their lives. It’s something I was inspired to do when I was in elementary school and it can have a huge impact on the lives of older adults.
I’m sharing our stories and experiences as part of my partnership with the Ready to Care initiative. I hope you’ll join us and take on the Care Mission challenges each week to learn more and support the seniors in your life.
WEEKLY ACTS OF KINDNESS FOR SENIORS
Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot about Ready to Care and how we can all help make the world a better place for the seniors in our communities. Ready to Care challenges us to do weekly acts of kindness for seniors. The goal is to expand our capacity to care for older adults.
This is something that is very important to me because my mom is a part of our daily lives. As she looks towards her future, she knows she has us to lean on. Not every old adult feels that way. Loneliness is just one of the issues that seniors may face.
Did you know that 11.3 million seniors live alone? As adults age, the likelihood of living alone increases as well.
Loneliness is a huge issue for people, especially as we age. Any acts we can do to help the older adults in our lives feel connected can help them feel less isolated!
If everyone stopped and did one act of kindness, we would be able to easily care for everyone. A community full of caring people can support and care for older adults. One act of kindness is all it takes to get started. It can be as simple as calling a senior you know who lives alone or taking an older adult to lunch.
Or it can be something that lasts longer.
When I was in 5th grade, my class participated in a writing project with local seniors. To this day, it’s a project that has an impact on my life. That year, each student in my class was paired with a local senior. We received a journal to share between us. They were called WISE journals and I wish I remember what the acronym stood for. But those are just details!
Our teachers reached out to make connections with older adults in our area. Some lived in nursing homes and others lived on their own. Each week we would write in our journals and over the weekend, a group of parents volunteered to deliver the journals to the seniors who were participating.
This project lasted most of the school year and we shared with the same senior throughout the year. They would write back and the next weekend the parents would go pick up the journals and bring them back to school.
As a child, I remember being excited to share about what was going on in my life and to ask about a million questions about my pen pal’s life. He always wrote back supporting me and sharing about himself. Now I realize what a wonderful thing this was for both of us.
The connection went even further than just the students and seniors.
My mom was one of the parents who volunteered to drive on the weekends and deliver the journals. I often went along with her and was able to spend more time with many of the older adults participating in the program.
What was a fun writing project that encouraged kids to share stories and learn from others was also an amazing way my 5th-grade teachers were supporting aging adults in our community and supporting relationships and connections.
It’s proof that one person’s idea and effort to do something kind for others can make a huge impact.
It could even grow into something bigger than ever imagined!
LEARN MORE ABOUT READY TO CARE
Ready to Care is an initiative by Home Instead Senior Care® to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families.
They believe the power of “we” is greater than “me.” Ready to Care shares the belief that through simple acts and understanding, we can expand the world’s capacity to care for older adults.
Actos of kindness can truly make a difference! Whether it’s holding the door for a senior or organizing a classroom journaling project with local aging adults, you can make a difference.
Supporting the seniors in our lives doesn’t have to be complicated. There are 5 simple ways you can support and show that you care!
- Join Ready to Care to get care missions, tips, and inspiration delivered right to your phone.
- Sign up to volunteer for an organization that helps and supports adults.
- Find a cause that supports seniors and make a donation.
- Get educated on issues that affect older adults.
- Encourage others to be more caring in their everyday actions!
If you’re worried that the care missions will be too involved and might not work in your busy life, Ready to Care understands how small acts can make an impact. Check out some of the missions from this year:
- Reminisce with a senior
- Listen to a senior
- Say something nice to a senior
- Walk with a senior
- Do a home safety check
- Help a senior get tech-savvy
- Invite a senior to your home
We can all make time to complete an act of kindness and see how easy it can be to make a big difference! Have your children join you and you’ll also be part of helping them make connections with the older adults in their lives which will enrich the lives of both of them! What more could we ask for?
Learn more, join Ready to Care, and get started spreading your kindness today! It’s the perfect time of year!
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